


Widow's Gift

by Lady_Ganesh



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Between Movies, Foreshadowing, Gen, Unrequited Love, hearing loss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-27
Updated: 2014-03-27
Packaged: 2018-01-17 06:12:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1376797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Ganesh/pseuds/Lady_Ganesh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint knows Natasha can take care of herself, but there are some things he needs to tell Steve.</p>
<p>Set between <em>Avengers</em> and the events of <em>The Winter Soldier.</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	Widow's Gift

Clint didn't exactly corner Steve in the SHIELD locker room. He just kind of hovered near until Steve gave up, put the towel he'd been using on his hair down, and said, "Hey, what's up?"

Clint shrugged. "Not a lot. Hear you're going hunting with the Widow."

"Guess so," Steve said. "Glad I've got her. She's good."

"She's the best," he said. "She does it all. She fights, she spies, she does it all backward in high heels--"

"You don't have to sell me on her," Steve said. "I was there, remember? She saved the world."

"Well, yeah," Clint said. "But you don't know all she's got. I'm not sure anyone does, honestly. She got out from...well. From hell, basically. And then she went back and got a bunch of stuff they had sitting around the backyard that she thought we could use. Here, I'll show you."

They were in the locker room. Clint was wearing a towel. "Show me what?"

"She stole this for me," Clint said, pulling something out of his ear and putting it in Steve's palm. "Maybe the only thing the Soviets ever made that beat our tech. Even Tony called it a nice little piece."

"What is it?" Steve said, squinting down at it. He held it up to the light.

"Well, it was supposed to be a listening device. Didn't work very well to spy on people. Helps you hear, though. Bi-directional, automatically adjusts the microphone, waterproof, sweatproof, doesn't get clogged up with earwax. Charges from electrical impulses in the skin so it never needs batteries. We figured out how to sync it with the walkie-talkies, too." He smiled, but it was rueful. "Tash was with me when this mission in Honduras went wrong. We got caught on the wrong side of an explosion, and my ear...." He sighed. "I've got a severe loss in the low tones, and a moderate loss in the high tones. Without this, I wouldn't have gone out in the field again. It was a hell of a fight getting me out there at all." He took the hearing aid back from Steve and started wiggling it back in his ear. "You can't even see it, that helps. Plus I think she may have some naked pictures of Fury. Maybe in a bunny suit or something. Maybe she just refused to leave him alone until he gave in. You never know, with Tash."

"You in love with her?" Steve asked. He probably shouldn't have asked, but it was so close to the surface.

"You know the kind of business we're in," he said. "We don't talk about that stuff."

Steve nodded. That was his answer. He'd realized pretty quick that for some people the war never stopped, it just changed shape and focus.

"Look, I'm not gonna ask you to take care of her or any bullshit like that. We both know she can take care of herself. And I know you'll treat her like anyone else on your team. But...she's the best we've got."

"I get it," Steve said. "Thanks."

"Just trust her. Realize she's capable of everything she says she can do, and probably a little more than that."

"What's her weakness? Archery?"

Clint chuckled. "Fraid not. I'm not sure I've seen one yet, Cap."

"I'll keep it in mind."

"You do that," Clint said, but affectionately. "Thanks."

"Hey, if I'm lucky, maybe she'll steal something good for me someday."

"You can only hope," Clint said. "You can only hope."


End file.
